Why would you call it ancestor worship? It makes it sound like Buddhists are elevating their loved ones to the status of gods. That's ridiculous!
And yet that's how I've heard and seen Buddhism described.
It's a put down, isn't it? It's used to make Buddhism sound heathenistic, uncivilized, pagan, scary?
That's not how I was raised to believe.
My mother prays at the altar every morning to honor, not worship people she has loved and lost. She humbly sends her gratitude to the next world. She does believe that there is a next world where people she loved are waiting for her.
She also feels we need to visit graves at special times of the year to offer flowers and send our prayers of remembrance. She doesn't want us to forget those who went before us because they paved the way. We need to learn from their trials and make the way easier for those who will follow us.
This is a good thing. It's not ancestor worship.
I'm not a religious person, more of a humanist I suppose, but I've always thought that Buddhism is one of the most sane religions.
ReplyDeleteKay -- thank you for sharing your beautiful family alter. I like the idea of honoring our family from the past. My son is one of 6 grandchildren who worshiped their grandparents...not so much with an alter or burial location, but by still talking about their times and little rituals with each grandchild. The kids know the grandparents weren't god, because they still got in trouble sometimes...DrumMajor
ReplyDeleteI think it's only the words used to describe it, like "worship" that sounds odd. Many cultures around the world honor their ancestors, and I have to agree: Buddhism is a very sane religion. I have had many Buddhist friends and appreciate their outlook on life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information. I suppose your Buddhist practices are a bit like saint veneration in Catholicism, although the saints aren't ancestors, but people who are in Heaven.
ReplyDeleteHonoring those who came before us certainly does make sense, Kay.
ReplyDeleteRemembering our ancestors and honoring their memory is a very positive thing to do....no matter what term is applied to it.
ReplyDeleteI do so agree with Jeanie, remembering and honoring our ancestors is a very positive thing to do whether you are religious or not and regardless of the term used. I have always had a very deep respect for Buddhism. Hope all of your have a great weekend, Kay!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
I guess eastern religions have many similar customs. We also have, amongst Hindu's , a special time of the year, when we honor our ancestors. There is also a special prayer ceremony before the actual marriage ceremonies, when they invoke the blessings of the ancestors, and invite them to come and bless the couple in spirit.
ReplyDeleteIn daily life, it is very common in families to have photographs of late parents/grandparents on the wall, and it is considered very auspicious to bend your heads and request their good wishes, when we set out for anything like say, an exam, a trip somewhere, or medical procedure, or some important event in your life.
(In fact , In the study where I am sitting right now, I have the photographs of my late in-laws and my late parents up above on the wall, behind the computer.....)
christians do the same thing...it's called memorial day in USA when we visit cemeteries and decorate graves. I too have photos of deceased family members on my walls to remember them and their contributions to my life.
ReplyDeleteWell Suranga (Ugich Konitari)already said what i wanted to say.
ReplyDeletethe alter is lovely and I know exactly what you saying,, honor is far different than worship,,I love this tradition,,
ReplyDeleteA very lovely post. The alter is beautiful. I have a much smaller and neglected alter in my house. I am not Buddist. Wonderful that you have this tradition.
ReplyDeleteI revere my ancestors, and think all of need to be in touch with those who came before us. Thank you for sharing this most personal aspect of your life. Dianne
I think it's lovely Kay..thank you for sharing...
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, Kay!!!
ReplyDeleteOne of the best and most interesting classes I took in college was Far Eastern Religions. Having been raised as a Roman Catholic here in the heartland where Judeo-Christian religions are dominant, it was a real eye-opener and demystified and debunked a lot of myths I'd heard growing up and I think it helped me grow as a person. Thank you for helping me grow some more!!
Oh, Kay, ignore people who say things like that. They are stupid and ill-informed.
ReplyDeleteFor hundreds of years, Catholics had small altars in their homes, too, and some still have them. Christians of all denominations visit the graves of their family members when they want to do so.
In my own family, we remember our grandparents with love and affection. We talk about them a lot, and at times I find myself talking TO them, especially one grandmother.
I don't like to hear of anyone putting down anyone else's religion. If we could respect others' right to their own beliefs, there wouldn't be as much war.
—Kay, Alberta, Canada
Thank you for this post. I know next to nothing about Buddhism and love to learn about different religions. We are more alike than different.
ReplyDeleteIt's never been explained that way to me.
ReplyDeleteHi Kay!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your lovely words for me always!
by the way in Tokyo it's obon now but usually obon is around 10th of August in japan. it's called " Kyu bon" probably.
it's different depends on the way to count month maybe.
is there something like obon for American?
Aya: Obon is scheduled at different times all around Hawaii at about the end of July until the end of August. People often go to dance at all the different Buddhist temples.
ReplyDeleteAn altar in the house is beautiful. Actually we all do a kind of honoring our ancestors. May be not by having an altar but by looking at our photos, by talking about them. We all have an altar in our hearts. Buddhism is a peaceful way of life. Buddhists will never commit attacks like that of yesterday in Norway.
ReplyDeleteOur grave site visits used to be called "Decoration Day" on which we visited the graves and left flowers and best wishes. Our government changed the name to "Memorial Day" but us old-timers still call it Decoration Day.
ReplyDeleteI had always heard that Buddhism was am "ancestor worshiping" religion in much the same way Catholics venerate people as saints and we heard they worship them too.
At that time or in those days people, here where I live, had bad things to say about ethnic groups and were openly racists when it came to black people, Jews, and Italians. Nobody wanted to live around any of them.
So, I can look back on those people as being ignorant or I can look back at them and be reminded of Hitler and how he used some of the same national feelings to enlist the German people.
I don't think anybody should demean any religion, period. But they still do.
The cross hanging around the necks of multi-millions should be looked on as something special.
I learned a lot about Shintoism and Buddhism when I lived in Japan. I learned about how the Emperor was held in very high esteem by all of the people and was once considered their God who lived in Tokyo.
I am with you on this one, Kay. I think your religion is your belief and how you worship is none of our business.
I do think it was nice to read your explanation because lots of people, apparently, still do not know what Buddhism is but they do now.
Maybe we should all take the time, like you did, to post our beliefs and how we arrived at our faith and what the struggle was like to find it.
Yes, a Catholic could have written a similar post, about people saying they worship statues and saints.
ReplyDeleteKay, thanks you for posting these personal photos. They give me even more admiration for you, if that is possible.
My daughter-in-law is Japanese and honoring ancestors is one of the things I appreciate the most about her culture. I also appreciate the way she's taught our Caleb to respect his elders. He loves for me to get out a box of old family pictures and talk to him about them. He also likes to visit cemeteries. He knows how to pray in the Japanese tradition. I don't know if that's Buddhist or Shinto.
ReplyDeleteReligious people can be so intolerant of other ways of believing!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have altars or special days, but we do remember our ancestors in various ways. It might help if we all "honored" those who came before.
Tom does genealogy to trace ancestors. as a result we understand our heritage better.
Yesterday at the cabin we were flying the Norway and Sweden flag pennants we bought in those countries along with our USA flag.
I think that your honoring of your ancestors is beautiful. Being LDS I know that many people can point and belittle without knowledge of what they are belittling. I've always felt that if you have to criticize others beliefs to defend your own there may be a problem with yours or with you. You make me want to study Buddhism to learn more about it, just to have a better understanding.
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